Cover for a dispensing faucet



1963 A. 1.. JOHNSON, JR

COVER FOR A DISPENSING FAUCET Filed Nov. 9, 1966 United States Patent 3,410,303 COVER FOR A DISPENSING FAUCET Arthur L. Johnson, Jr., Rockford, Ill., assignor to Johnson Enterprises, Inc., Rockford, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 9, 1966, Ser. No. 593,110 7 Claims. (Cl. 137-381) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cover for a beverage dispensing faucet is molded in one piece from flexible rubber and is formed generally in the shape of a cup which may be filled with water and which is sufficiently deep to enable immersion of the spout and the valve of the faucet into the water to prevent the beverage from drying in the faucet when the latter is not in use. The cover may be attached releasably to the faucet by a strap molded integrally with the cup and adapted to be wrapped around the faucet to establish a water-tight seal between the cover and the faucet as an incident to attachment of the cover.

This invention relates to a cover for a beverage dispensing faucet of the type having a tubular horizontal neck defining an inlet, a dispensing spout depending from the neck and defining an outlet, and a valve disposed between the neck and the spout for controlling the flow of beverage from the inlet to the outlet.

The general object of the present invention is to provide in a faucet of the above character a new and improved cover to keep the beverage from drying within the spout and to prevent the valve from sticking when the faucet is not in use.

A more detailed object is to secure the cover detachably to the neck with the spout and the valve immersed in water contained in the cover to prevent drying out of the beverage.

A further object is to establish a water-tight seal between the cover and the neck automatically as an incident to attaching the cover to the faucet.

The invention also resides in the novel construction enabling the cover to be attached to and removed from the faucet in an extremely simple manner and to be manufactured at very low cost.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which" FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a beverage faucet having a new and improved cover embodying the features of the present invention, parts of the cover and the fancet being broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cover detached from the faucet.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the cover shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in the drawings for the purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a cover '10 for a faucet 11 attached to a supply of beverage such as a barrel or a keg 13 of draft beer and operable to dispense the beer from the keg. Such a faucet generally includes a horizontally disposed tubular neck 14 attached to the keg by a fitting 15 and communicating with a forwardly and downwardly inclined dispensing spout 16 integral with and depending from the neck. A control valve 17 (shown somewhat schematically in FIG. 1) disposed within the faucet between the neck and the spout is arranged to be opened in response to a forward pull on an operating han- 3,410,303 Patented Nov. 12, 1968 dle 18 pivotally mounted On the neck. The valve is closed as the handle is returned to its rearward position shown in FIG. 1.

In order for a bartender to draw draft beer of optimum quality, it is necessary that the faucet 11 be kept as clean as possible. Beer drying out in the spout :16 when the faucet is not in use during the night contaminates the spout and also may cause the valve 17 to stick in a closed position.

The present invention contemplates a new and improved cover 10 which keeps the beer from drying out in the spout 16 and, at the same time, insures that the valve 17 will open freely even though the faucet 11 is not used for prolonged periods of time. Moreover, the cover may be attached to and removed from the faucet quite easily so that it will not interfere with normal dispensing of the beer. To these ends, the cover is in the shape of a cup adapted to snap over the neck 14 and surround the spout 16. Water poured into the cup rises into the spout and neck and over the valve to wash away the beer and prevent the same from drying out on the inner walls of the spout and from sticking on the valve.

In the present instance, the cover or cup 10 is molded in one piece from resiliently flexible material such as rubbet and is generally rectangular in cross section. The cup 10 is formed with a fiat bottom wall 23 and an open top 24 and includes laterally spaced side walls 25 and 26 upstanding from the bottom wall and integrally connected with opposed front and rear walls 27 and 28.

To attach the cup 10 to the faucet 11, a hole 30, herein circular in shape and approximately the same diameter as the neck 14, is formed through an upper portion 31 of the rear wall 2-8. Preferably, the upper portion 31 is made at least twice as thick as the rest of the walls in order to reinforce the cup adjacent the hole. As shown most clearly in FIG. 3, a vertical slit 32 is formed entirely through the rear wall and extends from the upper edge of the rear wall downwardly into the hole 30 to define a gate leading into the hole. With this arrangement, the cup may be attached to the faucet simply by flexing the side walls 25 and 26 away from each other to open the gate and to enlarge the size of the hole. Thereafter, the cup is moved upwardly under the spout 16 with the edges of the hole slipping past the neck 14. When the side walls are released, the material of the cup relaxes so that the edges of the hole embrace the neck. An internal lug 34 (FIG. 1) may be formed on the inside of the front wall 27 to engage the forward side of the spout and help locate the cup relative to the spout.

When the cup 10 is attached to the faucet 11, the walls 25 to 28 surround the spout and extend upwardly to a level above the valve 17. Accordingly, clean water poured into the attached cup will rise up into the spout 16 and the neck 14 and will cover the valve. Thus, the filled cup not only protects the outside of the spout when the faucet is not in use during the night but also prevents the beer left in the spout from drying out and becoming sticky.

Novel means are provided to lock the cup 10' on the faucet 11 and also to prevent the water from leaking out of the cup through the hole 30. Herein, these means comprise a flexible strap 36 which is molded integrally with the upper portion 31 of the rear wall 28 adjacent the side wall 26 and which projects laterally from the side wall when the cup is detached from the faucet. The strap is widened at its free end portion to present a tab 37 about the width of a finger, and a hole 38 is formed through the strap just short of the tab. By stretching the strap 36 upwardly and around the upper surface of the neck 14 and hooking an ear 39 formed on the opposite side of the rear wall through the hole 38, the cup may be locked on the faucet and the edges of the hole 30 drawn into tight sealing engagement with the neck 14. As a result, the cup may be filled with water to a level above the valve 17 without the water leaking out of the cup along the neck. In spite of the water-tight seal thus established, the cup may be detached from the faucet simply by unhooking the strap 36 and pulling downwardly on the cup.-

From the foregoing, it will :be apparent that the new and improved cover of the present invention is effective to keep beverage from drying out in the faucet 11, may be attached and detached from the faucet very easily, and automatically seals against the neck 14 as an incident to attachment. Moreover, the cover is extremely inexpensive since it may be fabricated in one piece by a simple molding operation.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a dispensing faucet having a horizontally disposed tubular neck defining an inlet adapted to be connected to a supply of beverage, a dispensing spout depending from said neck and defining an outlet, and a valve disposed between said neck and said spout for controlling the flow of beverage from said inlet to said outlet, the improvement comprising, a one-piece'removable cover for said faucet having a closed bottom and 'having integral front, rear and side walls upstanding from said bottom to define a cup having an open top, a hole approximately the same size as said neck extending through the upper portion of said rear wall below the upper edge thereof, an upright slit formed in said rear wall and extending downwardly from said upper edge into said hole to define a narrow gate leading into the hole, said cup being made of resiliently flexible rubber whereby the side walls and the upper portion of the rear wall may be spread apart to open the gate and enable attachment of said cup to said faucet with the edges of said hole fitting closely around said neck and with the walls of said cup surrounding said spout and extending upwardly beyond the height of said valve, said cup being adapted for filling with water to a level above said valve thereby to immerse the valve and the spout in the water, and a resiliently flexible strap integral with the upper portion of said rear wall adjacent one side wall and stretched around and over said neck and having a free end portion fastened to the upper portion of said rear wall adjacent the other side wall to close said gate thereby to hold said cup on said faucet while drawing the edges of said hole into gripping sealing engagement with said neck.

2. A cover as defined in claim 1 in which said upper portion of said rear wall is formed with an ear adjacent said other side wall, and the free end portion of said strap is formed with a hole having edges hooked over said ear to hold said cup on said faucet.

3. A cover as defined in claim -1 further including a lug formed on the inside of said front wall and projecting toward said rear wall to engage the free end of said spout.

4. A cover as defined in claim 1 in which the upper portion of said rear wall is at least twice as thick as said side and front walls.

5. In combination with a beverage dispensing faucet having a horizontally disposed neck defining an inlet adapted to be connected to a supply of beverage, a dis pensing spout depending from said neck and defining an outlet, and a valve disposed between said neck and said spout for controlling the flow of beverage from said inlet to said outlet, the improvement comprising, a one-piece cover for said faucet having a closed bottom and having front, rear and side walls upstanding from said bottom to define a cup having an open top, means including a strap detachably fastening said cup to said neck with said :walls surrounding said spout and extending upwardly beyond the height of said valve, and said cup being adapted to be filled with water to a level above said valve to immerse the valve and the spout in the water.

6. In a removable cover for a dispensing faucet, the combination of, a one-piece cup of resiliently flexible material having an open top, a closed bottom, and integral front, rear and side walls upstanding from said bottom, a horizontally extending hole formed through the upper portion of said rear wall below the upper edge thereof, an upright slit formed in said rear wall and extending downwardly from said upper edge into said hole to define a gate leading into said hole whereby the cover may be attached to the faucet by spreading said side walls and the upper portion of said rear wall to open said gate, a flexible strap projecting laterally from the upper portion of said rear wall adjacent one of said side walls, and a fastener on the upper portion of said rear Wall adjacent said other side wall for engaging said strap when the latter is hooked over the faucet thereby to hold the cup on the faucet.

7. A cover as defined in claim 6 in which said strap and said fastener are both formed integrally with said cup.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 937,570 10/1909 Davis et a1. 137378 971,602 10/1910 Gladding 137381 1,058,637 4/1913 Shephard et al. 137-381 1,142,579 6/1915 Jones 137381 1,850,359 3/1932 Simmons 137-381 2,168,239 8/1939 Reach 137-382 XR HENRY T. KLINKSIEK, Primary Examiner. 

